You can't go back
by starheart20
Summary: Harry and Ginny return home after spending a year on exchange at the Australian Academy for the Gifted without contact from their families [Chapter 8 uploaded 08/04/2003]
1. Leaving

Chapter One: Leaving

Sometimes she wondered what would happen if they knew the truth.  How would they react if they knew that there supposed "little sister" wasn't so little any more? What would they say, if they knew that little Ginny who had spent the year away on exchange in Australia was returning to them a fully grown woman, with friends that they had never heard of, powers they could only imagine, and a boyfriend? 

It was the last of these changes they were going to find the hardest to accept, although to be truthful they shouldn't…

Sure,  when she and Harry had both gone on exchange for the past year, they had made comments and him looking after her for them, but she was sure that they hadn't meant like that, and that if they knew the truth they would try to cause trouble.

Well, she wouldn't let them!  She was old enough to know what she was doing, and she wasn't going to let them baby her anymore!

Or, at least, that was her plan…

Smiling softly through her tears at her friend Leah DeWitt, who had supported her and guided through the tough times she had faced during her training at A.A.G., she wondered how on earth she was going to manage without her; without seeing the spectacular views of the opera house and harbour bridge as soon as she woke up every morning; without those wonderful lessons in healing that made her feel like all the pieces in her life were finally coming together and her eyes were open to the world for the first time in her life.  She was looking forward to seeing her family and the friends that she had left behind, but leaving was going to be _hard!_  Never mind, she had to do it and do it she would.  Did she really have to do it now?  Why not it ten years, ten months, ten days, ten minutes?

Silently she berated herself for feeling like this.  This wasn't what her teachers at the Australian Academy for the Gifted had taught her.  She was a healer now and healers had to be strong, make instant decisions for the benefit of everyone, not just what she wanted.  She could do it, had proved that by doing that so many times, so why when it came to leaving this wonderful place to go back to her family and friends who she had missed so much over the past year was it so difficult to say that final goodbye. Why was it so difficult to hug Leah one last time, and go and join Harry over by the port key and say the incantation that would take them back to Hogwarts, back home?

When she thought of the horror that she had felt on being told that she would have to spend a year on the opposite side of the world to her friends and family, away from everyone and everything she knew; to go some place where she didn't know anyone and to attend a school that she had never heard of, she felt like laughing at how naïve she had been.   At that time she had been the child that her parents and brothers still thought she was.  Coming to A.A.G. was the best thing she had ever done, and even though she still hated the Dark Lord Voldemort for all the hurt and suffering that he had caused, in a way at times she was silently grateful because were it not for the danger that she and Harry had both faced she would not have been forced to leave Hogwarts and go into hiding under the Fidelius Charm here at A.A.G., she would not have met her fantastic friends or learnt about healing or fallen in love.

That had been another problem she had stupidly thought she would face.  Ever since she had first seen Harry asking the way onto platform nine and three quarters before his first trip on the Hogwarts Express she had had a crush on The Boy who Lived.  She had never expected that he would fall in love with her.  All she had been able to think was that without Hermione around to help her and stop her when she was about to make a fool of herself she wouldn't be able to manage around Harry, and that she would simply have to avoid him for the entire time they were abroad.  However, before they had even boarded the Muggle airplane he had shown her a side to himself that she had never seen before, and she had resolved to simply do the best she could around him and if she messed up, she messed up!  What a result it had been… two months into their stay he had suddenly and unexpectedly kissed her during a moonlight walk past the opera house and they had been together ever since.

Squaring her shoulders she pulled away from her friends and walked to the window to take one last look at that magical view, before bursting into tears and running into Harry's waiting arms.

******

As he held his sobbing girlfriend in his arms Harry looked back over the past twelve months and wished that he could do the same as Ginny and break down and cry.

*******

He had been devastated to hear that thanks to Voldemort he would have to leave the only home he had ever known, say goodbye to his friends and surrogate family and not contact them again for at least a year.

So many of his friends and family and even strangers he did not know, both wizarding folk and Muggles alike had been affected by Voldemort, and it was all his fault for failing to stop the events after the third task of the Triwizard tournament leading to the resurrection of the dark lord.  Now he was going to have to give up something that was the best thing he had ever had, his school, to go hide away somewhere and his best friend's little sister was going to have to go too

Eventually he had begun to love Australia and his new school and the chance to be somewhere where people knew him as just "Harry" and not as the boy who lived.  It was a refreshing change and gave him the opportunity to grow as a person and be himself, without the pressure of being famous for something that he couldn't remember and which had left him an orphan to grow up with his only relatives who loathed him

Now it was time to go home.  The only thing was, he wasn't sure he wanted to go


	2. Talking with Dumbledore

"If it makes you happy

_It can't be that bad;_

If it makes you happy 

_Then why the hell are you so sad?"_

Ginny felt the jerking sensation that signalled that the port key was working and that soon she would be back at Hogwarts.  She felt like somebody was using a hook to try to pull her somewhere she did not want to go.  She also thought how strange it was that she was happy to be going home, to see her family again after a year during which they had had no contact; but that she was devastated to be leaving the friends she had made during her time in Australia.

Whilst they had been travelling to the academy and during those first horrible weeks when she felt that she had never been more alone in her life all she had wanted was to be able to be back at Hogwarts, to hear her brothers teasing her and to receive owls from her mum – even if it was a howler.  But now she was on the way home and she wished she were not.  Well, that was not quite true she was glad to be going back but she wished it were not quite so permanent.

@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@

Eventually the spinning stopped and the world reappeared around the pair of them.

"Welcome Back"

Opening his eyes, Harry looked straight into the concerned eyes of Albus Dumbledore.

The old headmaster smiled down at Harry and Ginny benevolently his silent appraisal taking in the obviously signs of recently dried tears on Ginny's face and the hardened looked in Harry's eyes which said all to clearly that he was trying to hide his true feelings.

Silently he gestured to them to sit down in the seats next to Fawkes perch and conjured three steaming mugs of tea and a plate of chocolate biscuits – a finding on a recent trip to a muggle supermarket.

Smiling at them as he handed them their mugs of tea he let them simply sit and drink their tea for a few minutes before speaking.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley" he said startling Ginny when he finally did speak "as I said, welcome back.  I know that there are a lot of people waiting to see you but I thought perhaps you might appreciate the chance to adjust a little before you saw them."

Harry looked over at Ginny and seeing that she was still a little shell-shocked took it upon himself to answer.  

"Thank You, Sir.  I think we could both use that." But then he was not quite able to resist giving voice to his next question "What's going to happen next?"

"For now simply a chance to relax, spend time with your friends and families before returning to school on September 1st with everyone else"

Upon hearing she would soon see her family Ginny smiled for the first time "Harry is coming to The Burrow with me isn't he?" she asked, not wanting him to have to go to The Dursley's and have to deal with the aftermath of where they had been and everything they had left behind alone.  To be truthful she did not want to have to deal with it by herself either.  She loved Harry and she needed him with her.

@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@

They spent a few more minutes with Dumbledore quietly sipping tea, eating chocolate biscuits and discussing the events of the past year both at Hogwarts and at A.A.G.  Then at their request Dumbledore left them alone for a few minutes to say a private goodbye before they were reunited with the Weasley's and Harry had to travel to stay with Professor Lupin for the summer.

As she felt Harry wrap his arms around her and pull her close to him, she snuggled closer and tried to resist the urge to break down and cry again.  She could not believe that after everything they were going to be separated.  Sure, it would only be for a few weeks but she did not want to be separated from him.  Even though she knew that Professor Lupin would take care of him, she would still worry about him every minute of every day that they were separated.

They had both been through so much over the years and things had happened whilst they were in Australian that they could not share with anyone else for there own safety but which haunted them…

Sighing softly to herself Ginny pushed those thoughts away and gave herself up to simply being in Harry's arms and a long, sweet kiss….

@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@

A/N: this is a short kind of in between chapter that doesn't really do much but it will get better soon, I promise!  

R/R as always please!


	3. Reunions

Chapter 3: Reunions  
  
A gentle knock on the door interrupted the young couple and caused them to break apart, somewhat unwillingly.  
  
Dumbledore entered the room and smiled at them before informing them that Ron and Hermione had not travelled home on the Hogwarts Express and were waiting for them in the Gryffindor Common room. Smiling benevolently, he sent them off to find their friends.  
  
*****  
  
Ron Weasley paced the floor of the Gryffindor common room relentlessly. No one had told him or his best friend Hermione Granger why they had had to remain at school or when they would be allowed to travel home. After the way that his younger sister Ginny and his other best friend Harry had had to suddenly go into hiding following reports that Voldemort wanted to kill them, the prospect of something similar happening to them had hung over them for some time. Then this happened; they were simply told they had to stay with no explanation offered, and obviously, the fear had been reawakened in both Ron and Hermione.  
  
Hermione shifted in her seat and smiled nervously up at her friend. He was making her feel worse with his relentless pacing.  
  
"Ron, Sit down. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about." she said, her eyes betraying the fact that she was lying even as her voice struggled to conceal that fact.  
  
She really had been convinced that there would be a simple explanation to all of this; that they really did have nothing to worry about. But then Professor McGonagall had told them that they had to remain in their common room that day and that food would be brought to them, and she truly had begun to panic.  
  
Time passed very slowly for the two friends. She tried to read and Ron beat her yet again at Wizarding Chess. They played exploding snap and twice the House-elves brought them food, but still there was no sign of any explanation.  
  
Around dinner time the portrait hole slowly swung open, but expecting another house elf with more food for them neither Ron nor Hermione paid it much attention. That meant that they were very surprised when they saw a tall girl with braided hair and a well-built boy with glasses enter.  
  
The four simply stood and regarded each other for a few moments before Ron found the ability to speak once more.  
  
"Who are you?" he demanded, his worry giving way to anger at the way he felt they had been mistreated.  
  
The newcomers shared an amused look and the girl broke into giggles at that question.  
  
"Always was the tactful one," she commented when she had calmed down.  
  
This made Ron even more confused, and then when Hermione gave a small shriek and threw herself on the newcomers hugging first one, then the other to within an inch of their lives he began to feel very exasperated and finally demanded to know exactly what was going on.  
  
Everybody laughed at that and then finally Ginny walked up to him and hugged him whispering in his ear "Its good to see you big brother" before quickly walking back to stand by Harry again.  
  
Those words finally penetrated his brain and with a cry of "Ginny!" he ran over to his sister, picked her up, and spun her round.  
  
He couldn't believe that after over a year of not seeing them, of not having any contact with them his best friend and his sister were standing there in front of him like they had never been away.  
  
Harry was pleased to see his friends again; and even more pleased to see some of the light return to Ginny's eyes as she hugged her brother and laughed at his stupidity. Walking over to Ron, he offered his hand and a "good to see you, mate." Before giving into the emotion of the moment, and pulling his friend into a manly hug.  
  
*****  
  
The four of them spent the next hours talking, catching up and trying to cram a years worth of missed friendship into as short a time as possible. Eventually around midnight, Professor McGonagall entered the common room.  
  
"Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley, welcome back." The normally stern transfiguration teacher smiled slightly as she said that. "I realise that you have not seen each other for quite some time, but it is now rather late and the four of you have to get the train home tomorrow morning so I would recommend that you finish this reunion for tonight and go to bed"  
  
The relief was evident on both Hermione and Ron's faces as they realised that their friends were back home for good and that they would not have to go into hiding with them.  
  
*****  
  
The next morning after a leisurely breakfast in which all of the Hogwarts teachers except Snape expressed their delight at the return of two of their best students, but at which even Snape was civil, the four and Hagrid caught the Hogwarts express to Kings Cross where they went their separate ways again.  
  
*****  
  
Sitting in a Muggle taxi on the way to Paddington station and the hidden Portkey point from which he would use another damned Portkey to get to somewhere in the middle of nowhere in Wales and the home of the last two living Marauders, where he was to spend the rest of the summer. He was really looking forward to spending sometime with his former professor, Remus Lupin, and his godfather, Sirius Black who apart from Ginny were the closest thing he had to family. It was so funny how he felt about Ginny and he couldn't believe how intense their relationship was and how much she loved him. Before they had got together, he could easily say that he did not know what real love was; didn't even think anyone could love him.  
  
Growing up with the Dursley's he had been treated as a nuisance; they had never shown him even the slightest bit of affection. He had wished all his life for someone to come and take him away from that hellhole, and on his eleventh birthday, his fairy godmother had turned up in the form of a friendly giant called Hagrid and taken him to Hogwarts. Since then, he had only had to return to his relatives for the summer holidays and life had been a little bit more bearable. However, it had not been until this last year in Australia that he had known what it was like to love someone and have that love returned. Ginny had given him so much: had held his hands through the terrible times of the last year when they had been scared for their own safety, hugged him when he admitted to being homesick for the only true home he had ever known and simply been there unquestioning at any time day or night that he had needed to know he wasn't alone.  
  
It had hurt so much leaving her, even though he knew they would be reunited in mere weeks. He had never thought that anyone could love him, being repeatedly told he was a burden that no one wanted during his childhood had left him with issues of self esteem and trust. His darling Ginny, however, had shown him that she both could and did love him and even though he knew the time away from him and with her family was going to be good for her, he was going to miss her so much. Now she was at her parents' house and he was on his way to what would hopefully be his future home. Deep down no matter how much he wanted to see Moony and Padfoot he wished Ginny were going with him, she had been his rock for over a year and being apart seemed a little unsettling.  
  
*****  
  
Ginny had once again experienced mixed feelings as the train pulled into the station. She was really looking forward to seeing her parents and other brothers again and to getting home, but she really did not want to leave Harry. He was really looking forward to seeing Sirius and Professor Lupin and she knew it would be good for him to see them, but still she wished they could stay together.  
  
Their relationship was a lot more intense then was normal for their age, but then again it was also understandable considering that for the past year or so they had been all each other had had to remind them of the home that was thousands of miles away, and the friends and family left behind.  
  
The four of them had walked through the barrier, and with hugs all around they had separated; Hermione going to find her parents, Harry and Hagrid getting a Muggle taxi to the nearest port key station and herself and Ron to find their mother.  
  
She had been very close to tears after hearing Harry whisper "I love you, see you soon" as he hugged her before leaving with Hagrid. Then she had felt almost 100% better about the situation when two minutes after watching him walk away she heard her mother cry her name, and all of a sudden it was the moment she had been dreaming of and she was in her mother's arms half laughing, half crying at the weirdness of it.  
  
She held her mothers hand, as she had as a much younger child, as they walked out to where her father and the rest of her brothers were waiting with Ministry cars to take them to The Burrow. Strangely, she did not feel self conscious or annoyed about that; it just felt right.  
  
Ginny smiled the first genuine smile she had in 24 hours when she got outside and saw them all, her five other brothers and her dad - she was finally home again. 


	4. A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Chapter Four: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words After a long drive in the Ministry cars back to The Burrow, Ginny was glad to be finally home after such a long time away from her family. It was just like nothing had changed; as if she was simply returning after one day not after more the a year of not knowing when or if she would be able to return to the home she had grown up in, and see the family she loved. The house still had the same flowery wallpaper, the same beaten up but still just as comfortable furniture and the hundreds upon hundreds of photographs of redheaded Weasley's waving at her from all of the walls. Dimly she was aware of her mother saying something about "a nice cup of tea" and leaving the room taking the rest of the family with her. She was alone for the first time since she had left Australia, and she didn't know what to think or what to do. It had certainly been an eventful year but somehow the last 24 hours seemed to have been even more eventful then the other 364 days put together. One thing was for sure, just like the Muggle rollercoaster ride she had been on during a trip to a theme park, it had been one hell of a ride and she wasn't quite sure how she was going to show her parents just how much she had grown, tell them all of her experiences and show them just who the new Ginny was. Putting those thoughts out of her mind for the time being she got up from her seat and slowly walked around the room looking at all of the new pictures that had been taken since she had been there last. There weren't that many of them and they were relatively easy to spot; they were the ones with only eight waving Weasley's instead of nine, the ones where the subtly hidden fear was all too evident in their eyes as they all wondered when or if they would ever be reunited with the youngest member of their family. ***** Molly Weasley caught sight of her daughter through the partially open door to the lounge and reflected on how quickly she had been forced to grow up during the past year. Shooing Arthur and the boys out of the house on a list of obviously made up errands she quickly made a cup of tea for herself and one for Ginny. She took her time, glad of the opportunity to simply look at her daughter and bask in the fact that she had in fact returned to them none the worse for the enforced separation. Placing a plate of chocolate cakes on the tray with the drinks, she carried them into the lounge and sat on the sofa. It seemed like Ginny hadn't noticed her but after a few moments she spoke so softly that her mother had to strain to hear her "That looks like a good day" she said pointing to a photo of her brothers and Hermione down by the river having a picnic one summers day. "Fun. Can we have a picnic one day? I always thought that river would be a good place for one." her voice trailed off. Moving slightly she picked up another picture, one of them at Christmas by the looks of it although Molly couldn't see clearly from where she was sat. "Last Christmas was so strange, it was so hot and it was just me, Harry and Arabella." "It was strange here too, sweetie." her mother assured her. "Ron came home for once, the first time he's done that since he's been at Hogwarts," putting her arms around her daughter as she sat down next to her, "and he kept telling everyone that they still had to buy presents for you and for Harry; that you'd be back to open them soon and how mad you'd be if you didn't get presents. We bought him a camera and he went mad with it after that taking pictures of everything so that you would be able to see what had happened when you were home" Ginny smiled at that and jumped up from the sofa walking over to where her trunk was waiting to be carried up to her room and opened it. Mrs Weasley wondered just what it was her daughter was looking for when her daughter reappeared from the depths of her trunk carrying two Muggle ring binders. "The first few weeks I was really homesick, we both were really, and Arabella suggested this might be something to do to fill the time." Handing the first folder to her mother she continued "this was a kind of diary I kept, of course it was too dangerous for me to use an enchanted one, and after my first year I didn't want to, but I figured that if Muggles could manage with diaries that can't think for themselves, I could too. The good thing about doing it the Muggle way too is that you can do things in them that magical diaries won't let you" Molly took it but just looked at the cover, she wasn't quite sure what her daughter had meant by her last comment and she couldn't bring herself to open it and read her daughter's private thoughts and dreams even though she seemed to have given her silent permission for her to do that. Realising her mothers dilemma, the self assured young healer nodded to her and gestured to her to open it and read. Opening the book slowly, Mrs Weasley found herself looking at a picture of her daughter that had obviously been taken soon after her daughter had left home. There was no evidence of the sun-bleached braided hair that she had returned to them with, the deep tan and masses and masses of freckles that currently covered every inch of exposed skin on her daughters body, instead there was the scared little girl her had left home over a year ago looking very formal and small in the photograph, barely moving as if she really didn't want to be there and that if she had moved it would have been to run far, far away and back into her mothers arms. Looking at her now, it was clear that her fears had been unfounded; Arabella Figg had taken very good care of her child and she would have to be sure to thank her deeply next time she saw her, for who knew whether she would have had her daughter home safely if Dumbledore had agreed to let her accompany the children instead of the old Auror? She had argued and argued and argued with them until she was hoarse from shouting but it had been to no avail, they would not listen and now she had to admit that they had been right. ***** "No!" the anguished cry came from Molly Weasley, who felt like she was being strangled, like she couldn't breathe. Albus Dumbledore was mad, there was no way she was sending her youngest child off to who knew where with Harry Potter and only a former Auror who had never had children and didn't know how to deal with them. She didn't care how big the threat from You- Know-Who was; surely sending two teenagers who had just discovered their hormones to spend god knows how long with no contact with family or friends was a very bad move! She trusted her Ginny but she had had a crush on Harry for years and who knew what she would do without her around to guide her? Plus, Harry had never had a proper family apart from those dreadful Muggles; who knew if he would behave properly under those circumstances without appropriate supervision? No matter what the danger to Ginny from Voldemort because of these supposed extra powers of healing she possessed, surely there had to be a safer solution then sending her off for god knows how long with only The Boy-Who-Lived and a childless old Auror for company.  
  
"Molly they must go; it is the only way we can guarantee their safety." the old Headmaster had told her. "Arabella will take good care of them, she's been watching over Harry whilst he's been in the Muggle world for years and nothing has ever happened to him there has it?" "I'll go with them as well" she said, resolute that should her only daughter really have to go into hiding she wouldn't be going without her. "No Molly, the boys need you here. You have to trust Arabella," her husband had said, wrapping his arms around her as she broke down in tears at the thought that her baby was in real mortal danger ***** The sound of loud chattering voices, as the rest of the family returned from their errands broke both mother and daughter from their reverie over the diary. "Hey Gin, we bought you a present" said Bill. "Kind of like a welcome home thing, hope you like it" he said passing her a present wrapped in brown parcel paper decorated with the words "Welcome Home Ginny!" She smiled at that and eagerly opened it. As she saw what was inside she gasped and felt tears spring to her eyes when she saw the beautiful silver charm bracelet they had bought her with seven different charms on. One chosen by each of her brothers and one from him and her mother, her father explained, smiling down at her as he helped her to put it on. Then the tender moment was broken by Percy turning blue with pink polka dots and turning cartwheels all around the living room for ten minutes before turning back to normal, before chasing Fred and George around the room threatening to kill them for giving him coloured cartwheel cake instead of the chocolate one that was on the tray, with their mother moaning at them about not getting enough NEWTS and their father trying not to show how amused he was by their actions. Ginny laughed so hard at that, that she had tears streaming down her face. Ron put an arm around his little sister as they stood there laughing "Glad to be home, sis?" he asked, smiling at her. At that Ginny burst into real tears of joy. It definitely was just a normal day at the Weasley's, and it was like a dream come true. 


	5. Be careful what you wish for

Lying in bed early one morning, 15-year-old Ginny Weasley reflected on the last seven weeks.  It had been strange how one minute she had been in Australia in hiding with her boyfriend and a strict but kind-hearted old Auror, attending a school for people with exception magical gifts with no contact from her family and now there she was lying in bed at home but wishing that when she got up she would see Harry and Ara instead of her family.  Laughing softly to herself she realised quite how strange that was when for months all she had wanted to was her mum and to be far, far away from Arabella Figg their temporary guardian and Harry's Godmother, but now she didn't want her mum, she wanted dear Ara who knew all about the events of the past year.  

Whilst she loved her mother dearly she did still expect her to be the little girl who had left, who wanted her mother to kiss it better and make all the pain go away.  Arabella would never treat her like a child, realising that while in terms of age alone she was halfway between childhood and adulthood the horrors she had endured over the last 11 months meant that childhood was but a mere memory for both Ginny and Harry – something they had left far, far behind.

Snuggling closer to her duvet, the young healer pushed the thoughts of the tough times away and tried to concentrate on one of the happiest days of her life, not just of the last year – the day she became the Girlfriend of Harry Potter.

*****

_They had been sent out by Arabella for some fun, she had scolded them that their friends and family left behind in the UK wouldn't want them to be miserable and that just because they were hiding under the Fidelius charm it didn't mean that they had to stay inside, under her feet the entire time._

_They had been on their way to meet two of their new friends who they were training with, Leah DeWitt and Matt Hughes.  After walking slowly along for a while taking in their new surroundings and trying to find there way to the park where they were supposed to meet their friends, Ginny suddenly spoke up mentioning a subject that neither of them had discussed before although they had both wanted to._

_"I never did say thank you, did I?"  Ginny said softly as they walked along by the water in Darling Harbour, a part of Sydney more magical then muggle although you wouldn't know it if you looked._

_"Thank you?  What for?" Harry questioned unsure as to what she meant_

_"M-My first year.  S-Saving my l-l-life" she struggled slightly over the words that held so much emotion as she remembered a time she would much rather forget.  "Not many people would risk themselves and face someone who had killed their parents and made two attempts at killing them, just to save the baby sister of their best friend, would they?"_

_She walked on fast needing space after saying those words that she had spent three years needing to say, but unable to say them.  She walked so fast and was so lost in thought that when Harry stopped dead and grabbed her wrist and pulled her to a stop next to him she nearly fell over from the shock of the sudden movement, and it was only Harry's arms going around her that kept her standing._

_The world stopped for Ginny as she felt his arms around her.  She shook herself slightly and forced herself to pay attention to what he was saying,_

_"Ginny."  His voice was firm.  "Look at me."_

_Slowly, somewhat unwillingly she turned to face him, not quite meeting his eyes.  His hand was on her chin all of a sudden forcing her head up and making her look into his eyes.  She could see the sincerity; see the emotion behind whatever it was he was about to say but the only thing was she thought it was pity. _

_"It was nothing." He said, brushing off something that most definitely was not nothing and that had to have hurt him more then it had hurt her._

_"Yes it was," she argued.  "Thank You." She said again._

_"and anyway, Ron had nothing to do with it.  I did it because you're Ginny, because you're **you** not because he's your brother."_

_Unable to believe what she was hearing she slowly pulled herself away from him and started walking again.  Catching up with her, Harry took her hand and they walked along in a companionable silence, both reflecting on the recent turn of events, or their new found friendship and getting used to the strange sensations that holding hands was producing in both of them…_

_Finally they reached the park where they were to meet their friends and had a very enjoyable evening, both trying to hide quite how badly affected they had been by their earlier close contact and to mask the feelings each had for the other._

_They almost managed it too had their friends not noticed that as soon as the young Brits thought they were alone to walk home to their hall of residence they started holding hands to._

_They had walked on for quite some time as they headed home, occasionally pointing out a new landmark to the other, but mostly in silence._

_As they came up on the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge and so were near to the hidden A.A.G., he reached out and snagged her waist with his free hand, forcing her once again to come to a stop._

_Moving his arms so they were around her and she was facing him, he pulled her closer to him and Ginny could feel the sexual chemistry in the air._

_"I did it because you're you and I love you," he whispered, leaning down to kiss her._

*****

Distantly, Ginny heard her mother calling her and pulling herself out of bed she was determined to put the thoughts of her boyfriend out of her head and get on with another normal day at the Burrow, and forget about the two plus weeks before she could see her lover again.  

Problem was, that day was destined to be anything but normal.  Although she was to get her wish of seeing Harry, the price she would pay would be so high that she would end the day wishing she had not.  She had felt his arms around her, heard his voice and seen the terror in his eyes as he leant in to kiss her, thinking it might be the last time he did that, and that would haunt her for the rest of her life….


	6. it might come true?

"I hope nobody has plans today" Molly Weasley said as she poured cups of tea for her family and passed them round smiling at the eight redheads that made up her family.  It had been a long time since she had had her husband and all of her seven children to herself as a family - years really what with Bill in Egypt, Charlie in Romania and Ginny spending the last year hidden away in Australia

"No, nothing special."  Her only daughter answered absently as she spotted Hedwig, Harry's post owl flying up the window and got up to relieve her of the package and letter she carried.

*****

Ginny had only just sat down at the table with a plate of bacon and eggs in front of her when she heard a tap, tap, tap at the window and jumped up recognising the snowy white owl there as being Hedwig, Harry's owl.  Taking the letter and parcel that she held out for her, Ginny offered the owl a piece of toast before sitting down to open the package and read the letter.

_Dear Gin,_

_How are you, sweets?  I'm OK, miss you loads though and wish I could be there with you!  Hope your brothers aren't teasing you too badly and playing too many tricks on you – tell them that they have me to face if they do anything too nicely and I don't get you back at Hogwarts with me in one piece – two weeks till Diagon Alley and I'm counting the days already._

_Sirius and Remus have figured out that we are together – several comments about "those Potter men and their red-headed women" and a little teasing later I'm pretty much in one piece and enjoying my time here.  They've both been giving me flying lessons and with that added into the all the fitness training Ara had us doing last year those Slytherins aren't going to stand a chance!  I've also heard a lot more about my parents then ever before so that's cool, you wouldn't believe the similarities between some of the stuff the Marauders got up to and some of the stuff that I've gotten up to, both with you and everyone last year and also with Hermione and Ron before that._

_Anyway, "Snuffles" is shouting something about breakfast and he's shouting loud enough to wake everyone in the street so I guess I better go and eat._

_I Love You,_

_Harry_

*****

Her mother watched as she read the letter and quickly sat on it before any of her brothers could grab it and read it before she continued.

"Your father has the day off work today and we thought it would be nice to go on a family outing, its been so long since we did something all nine of us together, and, well, we thought it would be nice."

One of the twins opened his mouth to protest - she could have sworn it was Fred but they always claimed to be the other when she rebuked them by name - and she quickly cut him off.

"No Buts!  We couldn't be altogether last Christmas but we can today and so WE WILL BE!!"  The last coming out in a slightly harsher tone then she had meant it to but this day was just so important to her, she was going to show how baby just how much she had missed her and give her the picnic she had wanted and it was going to be the best day in her daughters life - she was determined that nothing would go wrong.

*****

A leisurely breakfast followed, everyone trying to guess where they would be going and what it was they would be doing, and even those who had made the plans getting it wrong.

For a call through the fire from Albus Dumbledore ensured that there would be no picnic by the river that day, that Ginny would not get her belated birthday and Christmas gifts.

"Arthur! Molly!" came the call from the living room.  

All the inhabitants of the kitchen jumped when they heard the harried voice of the normally calm and easy-going Hogwarts headmaster, the noise of nine people eating and playfully arguing having effectively blocked the sound of the fire starting which normally heralded a floo-call.

Noticing the scared look on his wife's face and realising she was thinking back to that dreadful day when they had been told their only daughter must go into hiding, Arthur took a moment to squeeze her hand before hurrying to answer the Headmaster, all the while trying to hide the fact that he too was worried that Ginny was going to be snatched away from them again all too suddenly and all too soon.

"Ah, Arthur, good to see you.  So I interrupted breakfast, did I? Sorry about that."

Shocked that the man who one minute ago had sounded like he was making an urgent and/or life threatening call now wanted to make small talk, it took Arthur a minute to adjust before he answered.

"Q-Quite alright, professor." He answered, his nerves betraying him slightly making his voice shake a bit as he replied.

"I was wondering, would it be possible for you and Molly to come to Hogwarts as soon as possible to meet with me? It's about young Harry."

Molly had come up behind him as they spoke, he had been so intent on what Dumbledore was saying that he had not noticed her but out of the corner of his eye he saw her visibly relax as she realised that her fears were unfounded.

The conversation was quickly wrapped up after that point; arrangements were made to travel to Hogwarts later that day and Dumbledore said goodbye – but not before assuring Mrs Weasley that there was nothing wrong with the boy she considered her seventh son.

*****

It was something of a difficult journey to get to Hogwarts if you were not expected and even if you were it wasn't simply a case of going from A to B.  Luckily for the Weasley parents they were expected and so they could apparate right to the edge of the anti-apparition field, then walk the half mile to the castle before going straight to the headmasters office where the statue had been charmed to recognise them and so allowed them to enter without the password.

Molly Weasley had been a model student during her time at the school and so this was her first visit to the Headmasters office and she audibly gasped in shock when she laid eyes on its contents and saw the splendour of the surroundings.  She had had to travel to Hogwarts about her children a few times, most notably when Ginny was taken in the Chamber of Secrets in her first year but even then had not seen that office, Minerva McGonagall having preferred to remain in her office she occupied as Head of Gryffindor house during her brief tenure as acting headmistress.  

Arthur had not been a troublemaker as such when he was at Hogwarts but somehow he was always accidentally getting into scrapes and a few of these sticky situations had led to him being sent to that very office.  However, he too had never visited it under its present occupier and so just as his wife was shocked by some of the treasures he now laid eyes on all of which were things he had only dreamed of ever seeing and that showed the eccentric character of the supposed "greatest wizard of all time" to its full extent.

The headmaster gave them a few minutes to acquaint themselves with their surroundings and make themselves comfortable before he brought the conversation to the matter at hand.

"I am afraid Harry has had to go stay with his aunt and uncle for a few days… He has been very happy at Lupin Lodge with Remus and Sirius but the full moon is coming the ministry has been asking questions about just how safe it is to leave a sixteen year old boy with just a werewolf for company during its 'dangerous' phase."

Molly Weasley gasped when she heard this; unable to believe that after everything he had suffered the poor boy had been forced to go back to the family that hated him.

"Sirius is at Lupin's, of course.  But we can't tell the Ministry that, they would be believe that to worse then leaving him with a werewolf so it had to be Privet Drive, there was nothing else for it.  Arabella has resumed her disguise and is there watching over him of course but its not what I would have liked for him after all he's been through…"

Arthur was quick to make the offer the headmaster was hoping he would.  "Could he come to us?  We would love to have him, he's practically one of the family and the boys would certainly love to have him to stay, Ginny too – she's really missed him."

Molly nodded eagerly wanting to show how much she would love to have her honorary son there for she would do anything for the boy and couldn't bear to think of him back with those Muggles.

"To be honest, Arthur, I didn't like to ask but I was hoping you would say that.  I'll send Fawkes to him with a letter straight away.  He can walk to Arabella's and then floo from her house to The Burrow.  I'd say you can expect him to be with you within the next couple of hours" 

In fact Dumbledore looked very relieved; he had many reasons to be very concerned about the boy and it wasn't without worrying that he had sent him to Lupin's.  Ideally he would have liked to allow him to remain with Ginny, as she too was something of a worry to him although he did not tell her parents that.  They had had enough problems accepting that there daughter was one of the few healers born in the last century without hearing more of the danger she faced.  He certainly did not want to tell them that the Fidelius Charm had not provided her with all of the protection it should have during the last year and that she had suffered atrocities that no one should ever have to face let alone one so young – Molly Weasley would remove her only daughter from Hogwarts without a moment's hesitation if she knew that and he couldn't take that risk, Ginny's talent was too great as was the Order's need for it.

Then they had a brief discussion about Ginny's schooling for the next year.  Her talents in the area of healing meant that it was imperative she receive training in the art of medi-magic and she also had to catch up in a few areas she had had to miss out on over the previous year, meaning that for both her and for Harry (who also needed special tuition to help him control _his_ talents), a special timetable was required.  A little idle small talk about medi-magic and other seemingly random topics (but which were actually specifically chosen by the headmaster for a reason) followed used by Dumbledore as another attempt to calm the Weasley's and try to help them accept who there daughter was, they wrapped up the meeting and the Weasley's made to leave.

Indeed they did actually leave, made it as far as the main entrance to the castle all the while discussing how pleased Ginny and the boys would be to see Harry, making plans to delay their family day out until Arthur's next day off so he could be included, before Minerva McGonagall caught up with them looking more distressed then they had ever seen the normally calm head of Gryffindor.

"Stop! Stop!! STOP!!!" she shouted as she ran after them

They froze.  She might never have taught them, but the tone in the teacher's voice was unmistakable as was the reaction to it.  It was the one she used when she wanted complete attention and she wanted it NOW.  It worked too.  The terror on their faces at hearing the panic in her tone was obvious as they turned to face her.

"We've just had word..." Here the transfiguration teacher had to pause to catch her breathe before continuing.  "There's been an attack on Privet Drive.  Albus wanted me to tell you.  It's Harry.  Harry's hurt…"


	7. Healing The wish we wished hadn't been ...

The wish that we wish hadn't been granted  
  
The cheerful pretend happiness of the morning at The Burrow was shattered once again by the pop that signalled apparition and the fact that instead of their parents returning from their meeting with Professor Dumbledore the seven Weasley children were faced with Severus Snape the sour faced potions master who had taught them all at some point during their schooling.  
  
Bill being the oldest was the first to recover from the shop and find his voice once more. "Professor, what can we do for you?"  
  
Snape didn't answer instead he moved towards Ginny and all of her brothers took a step closer to her in an attempt to protect her from what they viewed as an unwarranted attack on their sister.  
  
"There has been an accident. Dumbledore asked me to fetch Miss Weasley and take her to the scene. He seems to believe she can do something for the injured."  
  
The young healer didn't bat an eyelid upon hearing that she would have to make use of her talents for the first time without the guidance of her mentors, this was what she had trained for, it was what she had been born to do and she could do it. She immediately turned on her heel and left the room to collect her equipment.  
  
The six brothers just stood there open mouthed staring at the former death eater. Just what exactly did they think Ginny could do? She was just a fifteen year old girl, not a mediwitch; she couldn't do anything, why was Dumbledore going to put her through this? And most importantly where were their parents?  
  
Ginny returned to the room. She was carrying a green bag that appeared to be very full and had pulled a set of light yellow robes on over her jeans and t-shirt. She appeared very focussed and hardly noticed them as she turned to face the potions professor who had once made her shake only slightly less then he made Neville Longbottom shake, more in control then any of her brothers had ever seen her.  
  
She nodded to Snape in a business like way and gestured that they should go but shockingly enough he didn't move.  
  
"Miss Weasley. Your mother was most insistent that I not take you to the accident scene, indeed that you should not be involved in this whatsoever but the headmaster was adamant that you had to come. So, this compromise was reached: you can go to Privet Drive or we can move everyone and everything to Hogwarts and you can go there. It's your choice."  
  
Ginny ignored the collective intake of breath from her brothers when they heard quite where the accident had occurred, she too had realised just who it was that might be hurt but she couldn't think of that right now, couldn't allow herself to worry about her boyfriend she just had to focus on the injured and worry about herself and Harry later. She was a healer and she had to do what she had to do, even if her mother didn't like it, even if all she herself wanted to do was run to Harry's side and kiss away his pain, she would heal all who needed it first.  
  
"No. I need to go to the site, moving them, even magically, to Hogwarts could cause additional injuries or aggravate the existing ones, the Headmaster should know that."  
  
Immediately upon hearing her answer Severus Snape moved into action he knew just why her assistance was needed and how great the need was. Too much time had been lost already and they needed to be there now. Without speaking another word he shoved the Portkey into her hands and pulling his wand from his cloak activated it with a single word. Satisfied that she was where she had to be, he apparated back to Hogwarts to prepare for the possible arrival of injured people, without even a goodbye to the remaining Weasley's. He never had been one for pleasant small talk and there really wasn't the time to waste when lives were in peril, including that of their sister.  
  
Snape knew that they would curse him for just leaving for not providing them with the answers they craved but he had to prepare a revitalising potion for Ginny for were she to return magically drained from her healing efforts (as in all likelihood she would for she was but a novice) she could die without it and then they would curse him for staying. Sometimes you just couldn't win.  
  
*****  
  
The world resolved into focus once more around Ginny and she immediately began to assess the situation; who was injured, how there were injured, where they were and when it had happened. She spotted Harry sitting up on the ground next to Professor Dumbledore talking. He looked injured but the fact that he was sitting upright and talking meant he was low on the list of her priorities for healing even if he was number one on her list for a hug to reassure herself that he really was OK.  
  
She took a step towards the next person she saw, a tall Blonde woman she thought was Harry's Aunt Petunia. She was lying unconscious on the pavement. Professor McGonagall was by her side trying to revive her but every time she cast the enervate charm it lasted only mere seconds before she lapsed back into unconsciousness again. Ginny knelt by her side and ran her hand over her aura. She immediately spotted the problem and worked to remove it, trying first one method then another. Finally she succeeded and the woman woke, obviously not happy to be surrounded by Magical People.  
  
"Wh-what? What's going on? My Husband, My Son, where are they?" recognition dawned in her eyes when she saw their clothing. "Get away from me! I don't want anything to do with you, you freaks!! Leave me alone."  
  
Minerva McGonagall bristled at that, she had spent over half an hour trying to keep the woman alive and the poor young girl looked done in from her efforts to revive her and they got no thanks whatsoever. The hurt in Miss Weasley's eyes was all too evident and the Head of Gryffindor just couldn't stand by and have one of her student's achievements shot down by a mere Muggle who had no understanding of the subtle and exacting nature of the art of Healing, nor of the personal risk the young healer had put herself at to save the ungrateful aunt of her boyfriend.  
  
Ginny smiled sadly to herself and shock her head at her teacher to show that it didn't matter - she wasn't sad for herself but for Harry. Meeting the woman had explained so much about why he was the way he was and sadly confirmed some of the things he had told her over the last year that she hadn't wanted to believe.  
  
Quickly she gathered her equipment once again, muttering a cleaning charm on each piece as she replaced it in the correct pocket of her bag for easy access - the layout of her kit had been one of the first things she had been taught during her lessons in healing as the seconds taken looking for something whilst treating a patient could easily mean the difference between life and death - and moved onto the next casualty.  
  
If the situation hadn't of been so serious she may very well have laughed at the sight before her eyes as she walked up to the stretcher upon which Dudley Dursley lay. He had by the looks of it a broken leg and wasn't co- operating very willingly with Professor Flitwick who was trying to relieve his pain by putting it in a splint for him. The picture the two of them made was nothing short of hilarious - the small Charms teacher trying to restrain and treat the elephant sized Muggle boy without scaring him any more then he already was. If Ginny had not been the consummate professional that a Healer had to be to function she would have laughed, she would have realised how funny it really was. Instead however, she hardly paid it any attention, choosing instead to heal the boy's leg and move on to the next patient and the next and the next until she could be with Harry once again.  
  
So she dropped down onto the grass next to the boy who although he was Harry's cousin couldn't be more unlike him if he tried and tried to sooth him, distract him from his pain and the fear he felt as she worked and five minutes later he was good as new with no outward sign save the look in his eyes that he had ever been injured.  
  
*****  
  
Back at The Weasley's house, the six young men were trying to understand quite what it was that was going on that day and just what the exact role that their sister was playing in all of this was.  
  
The babble of chatter made no sense, all of them trying to talk at once all of them coming up with their own theory as to why the potions master had appeared in their home and just what it was he and Ginny had been talking about. What did it all mean? They all thought they new but none of them had the same idea. Some of the theories were bordering on questionable taste (strangely enough, those were the work of Fred and George), but only Bill was anywhere near the truth although he too didn't quite get it right.  
  
"Guys, Guys!! Shut up a minute!!!!" Bill tried to share his idea with his brothers but really had to fight to make himself heard. Inspirations struck sometime after his third attempt at making himself heard. He stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled whilst simultaneously sending up purple and yellow sparks with his wand. That got their attention.  
  
"Ahem. Now I have you attention, I just thought you might like to know that I think I know what's going on with Ginny."  
  
That really got their attention. There was complete and utter silence and every eye in the place was on him. Bill smiled to himself he could get used to being treated like this, being treated like an older brother, the oldest brother even, should be treated, not like how they normally treated him as someone to be ignored.  
  
"Well of course, I'm not completely sure, we'll have to ask Ginny herself to know for definite. But, the signs are there so I thought maybe." He was really trying to milk this, wind his brothers up, get everything out of having their undivided attention that he could.  
  
"Bill. If you really do think you know what is going on you really should tell us." That was Percy, once a prefect, always a prefect. Officious with a capital O he liked to take charge just like now, trying to get his older brother to take the matter at hand as seriously as he was.  
  
"Ok. Ok. Joking aside, I do think I know some of what's going on." He paused and took a deep breath before continuing, unsure of just what to say, just how to explain it. "She, She's a healer." Seeing the confusion on Ron's face, he tried to explain just what that meant. "It's not like a mediwitch, this is a skill, a talent that you are born with. Healers have this innate kind of an intuition about healing, they can totally tune into what someone is feeling and what is causing it and they just seem to always know automatically how to change it, how to make it better."  
  
Shock. The look on all of his brothers faces was shock, there was no doubt about it. He was pretty shocked himself but really it was the only possible explanation that made sense. There were other possibilities but they were all a bit too farfetched to be realistic.  
  
Seeing that none of them had questions he decided to keep talking.  
  
"It normally doesn't manifest itself until the Healer is a lot older, but I guess everything she's been through must have forced her gift to the forefront a lot sooner then normal."  
  
Realisation slowly dawned on the oldest Weasley. "The Diary!!! That's what did it, That's why she had to go into hiding!!"  
  
"What?!" Charlie asked the question that was on everyone's lips  
  
"Voldemort knows about her talent, knows that she's a healer. He knows what she could do for him and he wants her on his side, be it willingly or unwillingly. Dumbledore must have figured it out and that's why she had to disappear."  
  
*****  
  
Back on Privet Drive, Ginny realised with a great deal of relief that the Auror lying in front of her was her last patient. She had never been so desperate to finish healing anybody in her life. Then again, she had never healed so many people by herself before and it was the first time she had ever worked without the supervision and support of her teachers and fellow novice Healers.  
  
Sighing with frustration she pushed the wave of dizziness she felt to the back of her mind and concentrated on healing the last of the cuts on the poor man's body.  
  
"There we go, good as new." She smiled at the Auror hiding how ill she really felt.  
  
Glad to be finished she looked around for Harry and started walking over to him determined to check him over thoroughly before giving into her urge to hug him to within an inch of his life.  
  
She was watching Poppy Pomfrey fix up his bruises as she walked across the short distance that separated her from where she wanted to be and so wasn't really watching where she was going. It was taking all of her mental energy, to get her to her goal and she couldn't focus on anything else.  
  
At last she was there and Harry was looking up at her with concern, she really must look as tired as she felt she supposed. His arms were around her and she leaned all of her weight against him, knowing that he was injured and she shouldn't do it but unable to stop herself.  
  
The look of concern in his eyes was the last thing she remembered as she felt his arms go even tighter around her and the world went black. 


	8. Acceptance

Acceptance

Slowly Ginny stirred and woke up.  She opened her eyes and gradually became aware of her surrounding.  Her head was still a little groggy but she had to stifle a groan when she realised where she was – the hospital wing as Hogwarts.  

There was one thing that puzzled her, though.  Why was she there in the middle of the summer holiday?  Slowly realisation dawned on her and the events that had led to her collapse came back to her.  

Harry, Harry had been there.  Was he there now?  She had to know.  She felt very weak but she forced herself to turn over and look at the other side of the bed.  Instantly she felt relieved, he was there.

"Hey sweetie, you had us worried there for a while."  Hearing his voice made it all the more real made her realise that he really was there; it wasn't all some sort of dream.

She opened her mouth to try to reply but he put his finger to his lips and shushed her.

"Ssh, don't talk.  You really over did it my love, rest now."

She was tired, that was true but she had to know about her patients, a healer's first concern was always her patients.

Harry, bless him, must have known what she was thinking.  "Everyone else is ok, Gin, they're up and about again.  They all said how grateful they were for what you did for them and then they left without a scratch on them."

Relief flooded through her.  It didn't matter how ill she felt as a result – she had succeeded in doing what she had been born to do, what she had spent the last year training to do and that was all that mattered.  

Fatigue washed over her like a wave again and she barely registered Harry's last words before sleep claimed her again.

"You were amazing, Gin."

*****

Molly Weasley could hardly believe the events of the last 24 hours.  What had looked to be a normal day had turned into one of the most surreal days of her life.  It was almost as bad as the day when she learnt her only daughter, her baby girl, had to go into hiding.

She had put a lot of effort into planning the day; she had wanted to make it extra special for her baby girl to make up for the year she had had to spend away from them.  

Ginny hadn't said anything of course but she had obviously spent the whole time she was away wishing she was with her family, Ginny acted like she had been relatively happy the whole time she had been a way but she hadn't – a mother could tell these things.

Then the call from Albus Dumbledore had come and she had been struck by fear like she had never felt before – he wasn't going to take her Ginny away from her again after so little time together, was he?  Luckily he must have realised her fear for he had been quick to divulge that the visit concerned young Harry, her surrogate seventh son.  Still she had been worrying, as any caring mother would.

Finally they had made it to Hogwarts and once sat in the Headmaster's amazing office she had relaxed some more.  A little small talk, an invite for Harry to stay with them which had been gratefully accepted by the headmaster and a little discussion about Ginny's schooling arrangements and they were heading back to The Burrow once more.

Except they never made it home.  Minerva McGonagall had come running up behind them, moving faster then Molly had ever seen her move.

She had shared the terrible news of the attack on Privet Drive and added that the headmaster felt that Ginny should be involved because of her "innate talents in the area of healing which could prove very useful in this situation."

Molly had fiercely protested her only daughter's involvement in the rescue operation – she wasn't entirely convinced they had it right about her abilities in Medical magic and even if she really _was_ a healer, she was too young, years too young.  Most healers were more than twice Ginny's age before they even realised they had the gift so why should she lose her childhood?

Sadly though no one else had listened to her arguments and with precious time slipping away that could mean lives lost which could otherwise be saved, Professor Snape had been sent to fetch Ginny and take her to the hospital wing at Hogwarts where they would move the injured.

That hadn't worked though; Snape obviously had just decided to take her to Privet Drive.  She'd never trusted that man… he claimed to no longer be a death eater, just a spy but who knew for sure?

She had been amazed watching Ginny heal those people – witches and wizards many, many years older then her had been trying to treat them and failed.  Then the teenager had arrived by Portkey and had done what others had thought impossible.  

Not that Molly would ever admit it but she must have been wrong, the girl did have a talent it seemed and had been trained in more then the basic first aid she thought they had taught her.  She had been beginning to feel happier about the whole situation when she saw Ginny smile and start walking towards Harry, the only person she had yet to treat.  The poor girl did look tired but happy to be nearly finished.

She had been surprised when she saw Harry hug her daughter, she knew that they were close but she had not realised there was as much feeling there as the hug implied there to be.  It wasn't really proper behaviour for such a situation and she had made a mental note to talk to her baby girl about such things.

That thought had flown from her mind thirty seconds later, however when she saw Ginny collapse.  Then she was glad that Harry was holding her, for it prevented her from suffering a serious injury.

She had been so panicked it was unbelievable.  Albus Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey had both moved to help Harry lower Ginny to the floor.  The three of them had had a heated discussion for some seconds before Harry seemed to convince them that he was right.  Poppy Pomfrey had given him a potion and he had pulled Ginny against him and forced her to drink some then immediately gathered her in his arms and apparated away.

That had been another shock of the day – that Harry could apparate and obviously had a duel license.

She hadn't seen either of them since – Professor Snape had been waiting for her and Arthur when they returned to Hogwarts at last and he had vetoed the idea of going to the Hospital Wing, instead insisting that they wait in his office.

*****

Ginny really did look peaceful lying there, mused Harry.  She was pale, but for once in her life she looked relatively peaceful.

Madam Pomfrey came over and looked at the reading of Ginny's vital signs.  She seemed to be pleased with what she saw.

"Mr. Potter, I need to examine her more closely but the readings appear to indicate that she will be up and around very soon."  As she spoke she moved the screens around the bed to allow more privacy then they currently did.

He nodded in response but made no move to leave; they had grown close enough whilst in Australia that he knew she would not mind if he stayed.

The nurse looked at him crossly and blew air through her lips in exasperation.  

"Mr. Potter, I must ask you to leave while I examine my patient.  I believe her parents are waiting in Professor Snape's office, I would suggest you go and wait there."

He looked down at the girl he loved more then anything in the world for a long moment.  He had been so worried something like this might happen as he watched her work and so frightened when it actually occurred.  Before Ginny no one had ever told him they loved him or held him when he awoke screaming from a nightmare.  He hadn't believed himself to be worth of love but she had changed that, taught him how to hope and that dreams do come true.

He had wanted nothing more than to see her, being apart from her had been killing him slowly inside but as he felt her lean all her weight on him as she hugged him, as he felt her collapse in his arms, he would gladly have died to have saved her this pain.

However, she wouldn't have wanted him to do that, and he had finally learnt to accept that fact.  

The first time she had ever healed someone after months of training she had been incredibly drained, even more so than she was now.  As he had watched her lying in bed for a week he had tried to convince her that it wasn't worth it to continue to train that it was almost as dangerous as remaining in England would have been.  

She hadn't listened though, had managed to make him see that just as he could not deny his latent talent in spell building and casting, she could never renounce healing – it was in her blood and she **had** to do it.

Times like this though, he wished he had won that argument for even though he knew she would be fine it still scared him to see her lying there like that.

He leant down, kissed her on the forehead and whispered,  "I'll just be with your parents, Gin.  I love you." 

He then reluctantly left the room and walked down to the dungeons.

*****

Arthur Weasley looked up as the door opened to the cold dungeon office.

"Harry…" he didn't get much further then that before a stream of questions interrupted him from his wife.

"Where's Ginny?  Is she OK?  Do you know anything?  Are you all right? Is, is…"

Chuckling softly, Harry held up a hand to stop her.

Arthur was impressed it wasn't often someone managed to stop his wife when she was in the middle of one of her rants.  

There was something about the boy that had changed whilst he had been in hiding.  He had definitely grown and undergone physical changes but he appeared more confident, more mature too.

"Mrs. Weasley, she's fine.  She woke up for a few minutes and then fell asleep again – properly asleep, not unconscious.  Madam Pomfrey says that from her vital signs she looks good and should be all right in a few days.   But she wanted to examine her more closely to make sure and wouldn't let me stay."

He watched as his wife sat, shocked in the chair with tears of joy streaming down her face and knew exactly how she felt.  Walking over to her he put his arms around her and held her as she cried.

Ginny being a healer wasn't really something he had ever considered until Dumbledore had told them and said it was best for her to go into hiding as Voldemort was also aware of her ability.  It was something every father dreamed of – one of his children having a rare magical gift – however; it didn't sound like a good thing when he considered the danger healing carried due to how it was carried out.  When the danger posed by You Know Who was added to the equation he had really wished that another family had a daughter who had been "blessed" with the gift of healing instead of Ginny.

Today he had still felt the same, especially when she had collapsed.  Now however, now he was proud of his only daughter and youngest child.

*****

Some time later the three of them looked up from their thoughts as Poppy Pomfrey entered the room.  They looked hopefully up at her as she began to speak.

"She's fine.  She's awake and she can go home the day after tomorrow.  You can see her if you'd like."

Wordlessly, they sighed a sigh of relief and moved towards the hospital wing to visit their girl.

A/N:  I am so sorry this took so long!  And I'm sorry if this doesn't read right, I've got writers block and I'm just trying to overcome it.  Can you please leave a review and leave me your thoughts on what works and doesn't.  The next one should be up in three weeks when I come back from my Easter break from University and I've got an almost finished song-fic that will hopefully be posted by the end of the week.


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